Dec 31, 2019
Summary:
Bob Hutchins, Brad Ayres, and
Ken Ott talk about their Marketing Superpowers in the very first
episode of Agency Exposed! They share how they wound up in
Nashville, discuss running your business based on your strengths
and staying in your lane of expertise when it comes to working with
new clients.
Top 3 Curtain Pulls in
this episode:
- Stay
in your lane of expertise, play to your strengths and develop those
to be the BEST at that thing.
- Cultivate a mindset of ABUNDANCE (not scarcity)
within your organization.
- Creating internal processes are a NECESSITY for
growth.
About The
Guys:
Bob Hutchins: Founder of BuzzPlant, a digital agency that he
ran from from 2000 -2017. He is also the author of 3 books. More on
Bob:
Brad Ayres: Founder of Anthem Republic, an award-winning ad
agency. Brad’s knowledge has led some of the biggest brands in the
world. Originally from Detroit, Brad is an OG in the ad agency
world and has the wisdom and scars to prove it. Currently that
knowledge is being applied to his boutique agency. More on
Brad:
Ken Ott: Co-Founder and Chief Growth Rebel of
Metacake, an Ecommerce Growth Team
for some of the world’s most
influential brands with a mission to Grow Brands That Matter. Ken
is also an author, speaker, and was nominated for an Emmy for his
acting on the Metacake Youtube Channel
(not really). More on
Ken:
Show
Notes:
[0:20] - Brad
Ayres shares about growing up in Detroit, what brought him to
Nashville, and the origin of Anthem Republic.
- “Helping companies really see who they are…
define what their anthem is and to help get their employees, their
constituents, and their customers behind it.”
[4:24] -
Ken Ott tells us about his
childhood in Queens and how the tough lessons he learned early on
have informed the growth of Metacake and his passion for GROWTH in
every aspect of life.
- Metacake is an ECommerce Growth Team that
offers expertise in 3 areas: Paid marketing, Site building
(optimization), & Email marketing.
[12:00] -
Bob Hutchins tells us about his early passion for technology, early
days in Christian ministry and transition to entrepreneurship,
moving to Nashville and 17+ years of agency
experience.
[15:20] -
Question #1: What is your Superpower?
- These
are things that are natural gifts/strengths that have helped in
developing business/career and give you the opportunity to do
something unique.
[17:30] - Ken
loves GROWTH!
- “I’m
relentless and I seek it out… that’s part of the fiber of who we
are as a company.”
- Sharing ideas, pain points, and lessons learned
with other agencies is something that has been frowned upon in the
past. Metacake believes that collaboration and communication with
companies that would typically be considered competition is a
NECESSITY.
[20:07] Bob,
Ken, & Brad talk about Transparency, Collaboration, and why
entrepreneurs are drawn to the Greater Nashville
area.
- Open
minded and more collaborative than other cities, where competition
and a “we’re experts in everything” mindset.
[23:07] Brad
talks about The Active Antagonist
- “We
always have to create an active antagonist, someone that’s gonna be
against you. I’ve let that down here… The only person who is
against me, is me. And my own limitations and the box I put myself
in."
[23:34] Scarcity vs Abundance
[24:56]
Bob asks: How much does the local/regional culture impact your
mindset & the way you do business in a connected, international
world?
- Scarcity vs Abundance: The Guys discuss the
importance of your Business/Living Culture and how it influences
your Business Success
- Often
client expectations do not meet up with reality, so it’s important
to be aware of how a client expects to communicate and work with
you.
[33:21] How to
say no when you feel out of your lane/expertise.
- Metacake’s business evolution and client
philosophy
- Ken
on options vs creating your own standards. “There are 3 basic
business models, be the best, be the only one, or the cheapest.”
Only 1 leads to lasting impact and high levels of
expertise.
[39:00] Making
yourself indispensable to your clients
- Brad:
“Make yourself indispensable and you’ll never be out of a
job.”
[42:00] Is the
customer "always right" in 2019?
[44:20] In
order to be the best at what you do, internal/business health comes
first.
- Service does not mean
servant!
- The
Guys discuss processes and policies within your business and how it
impacts your long-term internal health. Processes help to remove
your personality and emotions from the business
atmosphere.
- Brad:
“Your business is run by processes, and people run the
processes.”
- Bob
on the challenge of creating internal processes: “How do you
provide an environment of freedom, creativity, and ultimately a
beautiful product at the end for the client or service, whatever it
may be.. That functions head and shoulders above what they have,
and put restrictions on that.”
[52:29] The
Guys wrap up by discussing strengths, weaknesses, and
partnership.
- “Rather than trying to work overtime on the
things you’re really bad at to kinda get yourself even, work more
on the things you’re really good at and become the best at those
things. Be aware of what you’re not good at… but when you know
you’re not the best, find other people that are.”